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Issue #1. I am a small guy 5'5" and 140 lbs. What is the smallest helmet around that is not a DP and who has them?

Issue #2. I have a gauntlet kit. They appear to have been made from a styrene plastic that was heat or vaccum formed (not sure how the stuff is shaped). So with that said, being made out of that thin material they are rather soft and flimsy. I would like to stiffen them up a bit and make them a able to stand the wear and tear of being worn. I was reading a post about a smooth cast 300 product. Do you think I would be able to line the inside of the gauntlet halfs with some of that to strengthen them up or even make a casting. Is there some other product or method that you would recommend?

Well other then a DP, there is whats called a "mystery helmet," and you can get a good resin cast of one from a member named Sgt Fang. Im a big guy, but I seem to have a small head, but I have a crappy recasted one that just barely fits me. So I'd imagine it would work good for you.

Issue #2, fiberglass re-inforcement. Im not really sure what smooth-on product your talking about though, but fiberglass will really make the thin plastic alot more durable.

Just go to a home depot or where ever, get some fiberglass all purpose resin and matt or cloth (should be in the same area as resin) Follow instructions, and go at it

DP and rubies is as small as it gets without getting into the riddell or master replica scaled helmets (those are tiny, like you might be able to get a fist into one). the mystery helmet is pretty large, since it has some lineage to a screen used prop. if you look closely, boba was kind of a bobble-head.

fiberglass is good stuff for reinforcement. but if you're going to do that make sure you're good and prepared. a good respirator/mask (even in a well ventilated place, it'll get you crazy high), a box of latex gloves (you don't want to get the stuff on your skin and having a hundred gloves at your disposal is a godsend once it starts to gum up your fingers), a bag of those crappy foam paintbrushes (for applying the mixed resin to the surface of where you want to make stronger), and be sure to cut your glass mat down into easily managable pieces that fit into all the nooks and crannies where you need it.

Issue #1. I am a small guy 5'5" and 140 lbs. What is the smallest helmet around that is not a DP and who has them?

bradbucholtz, I'm 5'5" myself, and am sporting a BM helm and FP V2 armor. I'm the one on the right with the ROTJ setup.

Issue #2. I have a gauntlet kit. They appear to have been made from a styrene plastic that was heat or vaccum formed (not sure how the stuff is shaped). So with that said, being made out of that thin material they are rather soft and flimsy. I would like to stiffen them up a bit and make them a able to stand the wear and tear of being worn. I was reading a post about a smooth cast 300 product. Do you think I would be able to line the inside of the gauntlet halfs with some of that to strengthen them up or even make a casting. Is there some other product or method that you would recommend?

Thanks in advance

Me personally, I would use fiberglass matting and resin, but then again, I have access to those.
As for reinforcing and casting it, I would suggest you don't. Unless you have permission from the maker of the gauntlets to do so.

Here's the problem with the smooth-on resin as far as using it to reinforce your gauntlets... It gets hot when it sets. Very hot. Hot enough to possible melt, warp, or damage your styrene gauntlets.

On the other hand. If you are on it and know what you're doing, it is less gooey and stinky than fiberglass resin and (in theory) the thin layers used for reinforcement shouldn't build up enough heat to do any damage. However, I do believe that the smooth-on resin isn't as apt to bond to anything but itself. i.e. after setting, it will more easily seperate from the styrene than the fiberglass resin will.

I'm 5'5 also. I bought some shoe lifts to get me to about 5'8. Though I have the added issue of being a girl and being curvy and large chested lol. waist is reasonable in the 33" area. Hoping to get down to a 30 though which would knock down the hips and chest also lol.

But I still have an extra set of shoe lifts in the package, full shoe size, can be cut down to whatever size you need. I accidently ordered two sets :/ Let me know if you need em, 20.00 is what I paid, I'll send em to ya shipped for 22.00.

I am using a Sgt Fang myself and it fits quite well. Walmart has some girls pink softball helmets on sale right now, that the padding worked perfect for the helmet! they range from 4.00-10.00 it seems depending on the helmet size you get.

as for gauntlets, I have styrene ones also. You will want to use fiberglass matting. Not cloth for this purpose. Stronger than the cloth and you can get down into all of the corners and little weird dents and shapes of the gauntlers. I can send you the pictures of my progress of glassing the gauntlets and the list of things I bought for it if you need it!

bradbucholtz, I'm 5'5" myself, and am sporting a BM helm and FP V2 armor. I'm the one on the right with the ROTJ setup.

Me personally, I would use fiberglass matting and resin, but then again, I have access to those.
As for reinforcing and casting it, I would suggest you don't. Unless you have permission from the maker of the gauntlets to do so.

Good luck!

Stay safe,

Tim.

By casting I was not meaning that I wanted to reproduce and sell copies. I was just trying to get at that is I used that smooth cast product and lined the inside of the gauntlets that lining and shell would not permanetly stick together so I would enentially I would end up with a cast of the shell when I was done.
But from what I have heard back from others it sounds like matting and resin is the way to go. I have done some fiberglass work with cloth before but not matting. If someone can point me to suppliers and give some pointers it would be much appreciated. Thanks

By casting I was not meaning that I wanted to reproduce and sell copies. I was just trying to get at that is I used that smooth cast product and lined the inside of the gauntlets that lining and shell would not permanetly stick together so I would enentially I would end up with a cast of the shell when I was done.
But from what I have heard back from others it sounds like matting and resin is the way to go. I have done some fiberglass work with cloth before but not matting. If someone can point me to suppliers and give some pointers it would be much appreciated. Thanks

Oh, well then if you worked with cloth, then you should have no problem with the matt. Its just that unlike the cloth, the matt is not woven together, and is like compacted strands of the fiberglass fibers. In comparison to the cloth, the matt is alot more messy and a pain to work with. Im not an expert, but thats what I can say at least.

You should be able to find the matt at any home depot, maybe lowes, Ive never really checked their FG materials. Maybe even try a west marine if there's one near you, but that might be a bit pricey in comparison to the other places.

You can buy it at walmart. The resin is about 8 bucks, and the packages of light, cloth glass matting is about 5 bucks.

Personally, if I were you, id probably just get some polystyrene sheets, and glue them inside on the pertinent areas. Im not 100 sure the glass wont de-laminate from the polystyrene.

Regardless, remember that the more time and planning you take the better your result will be.

I did use fiberglass on the inside of the polystyrene helmet I made, and it adhered ok and didnt melt it, it was however, .80 thickness and I used the glue that chemically welds it so the heat wasnt an issue.

And I would use the cloth, not the matting. Cut it into strips and paint on resin, lay the cloth, then put a little more resin on to make sure its coated, and stuck tightly all over. If you dont coat it well, it will be like a little plastic saw at the edges, and will poke,cut,wear through cloth/skin pretty fast

Wear gloves and make sure you 'kneed' the edges inso that it forms a smooth seam.

Kinda like when you get a cast as a kid and the doctor goes over it and rubs it all down to smooth.